


Domesticated II: More

by Viridian5



Series: Domesticated [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Domestic, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-01-14
Updated: 1999-01-14
Packaged: 2017-10-02 07:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridian5/pseuds/Viridian5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex takes a risk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Domesticated II: More

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by Orithain. The "slathering with sauce" line might have been sponge-inspired by a line in Te's _Once a Thief_ story, "Music III: So Clear." I didn't see the possibility till Te mentioned it as she took a look at my first draft.

I throttled down the urge to fidget in an uncomfortable combination of anticipation and anxiety. I should have just gotten it over with as soon as he'd walked in the door instead of letting him order Chinese and have dinner. He couldn't actually be eating those spare ribs as slowly as he seemed to be. I was so nervous I couldn't even enjoy the decadent, barbaric way he always ripped into them.

My impatience made me struggle with the ribs a little more than usual. It wasn't easy to eat them one-handed, but I've always found the means to do the things I wanted to do, no matter the obstacles, anyway.

Mulder kept shooting me amused glances. Despite my best efforts at concealment, he seemed to know that something was up but was too polite to say so, knowing also that I hadn't meant for him to see it. He intended to let me tell him in my own time. Frightening that we knew one another so well at times.

And screwed up so badly at others.

Which brought me back to the gift. I didn't know which it was yet.

Only a few months ago, living hand to mouth as I had been, the Apocalypse itself couldn't have torn me away from a meal. Tonight, I abandoned all patience and said, "Could we reheat the rest later? I have something I want to show you."

Mulder smiled, black-garnet sauce rouging his lips. He looked like a sloppy but happy kid. He'd changed out of his suit into blue jeans and an old black T-shirt, not unlike my usual outfit. He had his bare feet propped up on the coffee table and leaned back a little further into the couch. He tore the last scrap of meat off his current rib with his teeth, put the bone down on the plate, and said, "Sure. I suck at waiting anyway."

I put aside all my thoughts about his lips, teeth, and tongue to get back to the subject at hand. //Hopefully, we can do all that later.// "We have to clean up first. No way I'm letting you touch it with those hands."

His smile deepened. "While you're immaculate."

"I'll be cleaning up too."

"No problem." He dove in and kissed me. He tasted sweet, spicy, and meaty, giving me thoughts of slathering him in sauce and devouring him. It was a bit awkward with both of us trying to keep our messy hands off the couch and each other, but that hardly stopped us from enjoying ourselves. We licked each other's lips clean.

Fortunately, Mulder was so enthused at the thought of a surprise for him that he didn't start on my saucy fingers, or we would have been on that couch forever. Not an unpleasant possibility, but it would still leave me waiting for his reaction to my gift. Not that I would remember that while Mulder was at work on me.... Hey.... But before I could encourage him in that direction, Mulder took his tongue back, got up, and headed for the bathroom.

I washed up at the kitchen sink, then retrieved the simply wrapped box from the cupboard. While I had been on my way back from disposing of the body of the most recent idiot who'd tried to bug Mulder's apartment, I'd passed a shop and gotten an idea. In a fit of enthusiasm, I'd followed through on it without having a second thought until hours later. Then I had third, fourth, and fifth thoughts too.

Considering last night's fight, I worried that he might not take this the way I meant it. Sure, last night's fight and making up had also inspired the gift, but.... The gift had started as a joke but turned to something else the more I thought about it.

I could have just buried the box in a closet somewhere and never told him about it, but I hated to back down from anything. I brought it to the couch with me and sat down.

He all but glowed as he settled in next to me. Everyone loved presents, but Mulder did even more than most. I got the feeling he'd never gotten many. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

"No real occasion, it was just whim. Oh, hell, have a very merry unbirthday, Mulder."

Hurricane Mulder tore through the plain black wrapping paper. He slowed a bit as he lifted the box lid and sifted through the tissue paper. He lifted out the contents.

Bells jingled. Rhinestones and metal flashed in the light. His face went blank as he fingered one of the two, black leather collars that had been linked together. One collar had a red metal tag beneath its bell that had the name "Alex" engraved on it. The other had a green one that read "Mulder."

After last night's discussion, giving him a collar for me might not have made any waves; I _had_ told him to own me last night, which he'd proceeded to do very thoroughly for five hours. Getting one for him... was arrogant and presumptuous, but why should I change now?

What kind of commitment did giving your lover a personalized cat collar suggest anyway?

I had only realized how committed I had become to him last night. What if he didn't feel the same way? Whatever it was we had was such a rare thing for me, and was balanced on such a knife's edge. This gift might force the break up we'd narrowly avoided last night.

Did he... want me enough to do this?

He looked more thoughtful than angry, which I took to be a good sign. I took a deep breath and proceeded to pretend that I had only bought one for me. "It's a big responsibility, you know."

He was completely lost in thought. "What?"

"Ownership. There's feeding, grooming--"

"Grooming could be nice."

I took it as encouragement. "Petting."

"Petting is necessary. Could we do belly-rubbing?"

I started to breathe again. "What is your obsession with my-- All right."

"And we swear to never ever get one another fixed."

"You couldn't fix me if you tried." Then I realized what he'd just said. "'One another'?"

Mulder unbuckled the collars and put his on, bell jingling all the way. When he lifted his head, the flash of rhinestones couldn't match the gleam of his crooked smile. He held out my collar, and I leaned forward. I couldn't help shivering as his long fingers brushed the nape of my neck when he buckled it. He flicked my bell with his forefinger to make it ring, then pulled me in for a long, thorough kiss that left me dizzy. Soon we were draped along one another.

Mulder's soft, throaty voice sounded so shaky, but the sense of wonder I heard in it amazed me. "Now... now we own each other."

 

### End

 

_"One thing I know:  
I want more.  
I want more._

_(And I need all the love that I can't get to)  
(And I need all the love I can get)  
(And I need all the love that I can't get to)_

_D'you get scared to feel so much?  
To let somebody touch you?  
So hot, so cold, so far, so out of control,  
Hard to come by, and harder to hold...."_  
 -- "More" by the Sisters of Mercy


End file.
